


Family isn't defined by Blood

by Renegad3Spectre



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Acupuncture, Canon Typical Violence, Depression, Family Issues, Hurt/Comfort, I also want to go a little deeper into Jackie/Misty, Panic Attacks, V as a street kid, V is very emotional, V's parents, V's past, V's real name, frienship, mental stress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-06-28 06:40:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19806796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renegad3Spectre/pseuds/Renegad3Spectre
Summary: My new fic about V's past. This might have some more chapters.V grew up a street kid, as his father kicked him out at the early age of ten. His parents never planned on letting their kid live on his own at the age of just ten, but V took the punishment serious and punished his parents in the end - without intention





	1. How confusing feelings can be

The definition of safety is probably described differently by any person you'd ask. For one it's the hug of a loved one, for the other one it's the blanket of their bed. Safety is defined unique by every single person. Light, darkness, a room with windows, a room without windows, an escape route close by, no doors around at all, surounded by people, being alone. 

For V right now it was the doorstep to a locked door. He sat in the rain, making himself as small as possible. His whole body ached and was trembling, both of being exhausted and clenched. V didn't realise he was completely rain soaked. The only thing that mattered right now, was the cigarette between his lips. With shaking fingers he took it out of his hands and blew out the smoke of a deep drag. The area was too dark to watch the smoke. The only thing visible was the glowing tip of the cigarette. 

V sniffed. His nose had finally stopped bleeding but the pain, mixed with fear had him left crying. Though it never had been like this before. V never cried. He never did when he was beaten by his father. He never had been crying when he ended up in a fight on the streets. But there had been this one moment that changed his life, broke the lock in his head, had left him in a pool of emotions that he suddenly feared to drown in.   
All of a sudden he was scared to die. Often he had been reckless because he didn't fear death. He often even wished for it. He often had failed to find the purpose in his life.  
But suddenly it had happened. And the crazy thing was that he asked for it. That change in his life had been his wish. And now it had happened and it made everything so unnecessarily complicated. 

With one hand he wiped over his face. He wiped off the rain that washed off some blood as well. He took one last drag and threw away the tiny rest of the cigarette. Once the smoke was blown out, he made himself even smaller, burying his head in his arm, folded around his knees. 

V hadn't thought much about his past before the time his emotions came back to life. He never reflected and he never looked back. He lived pretty well with it but all of a sudden he started to feel so empty, so hurt and so alone. Though he wasn't as alone as he used to be until a few weeks ago. 

As he closed his eyes, he saw his home. His parents standing in front of him. V always had a difficult relationship with them; especially with his father. Both his parents have been busy with their work; she was a laywer, he was a surgeon. And even in his early days he felt like they never were meant to have children.   
Though his father made his money with saving people's lives, he was a very violent man. Every mistake V had made as a child, was punished by a brutal beating. It left the kid become cold in a early age. When he once stole a toy from a kid in the neighbourhood, his father literally beat his son out of the house. V was only ten back then. Of course it was reaction out of desperation and his parents started to look for their son as he wouldn't show up again in the evening. As a child V didn't have many friends either, but still his parents asked every single one of his classmates. Not a single one had seen him. Ever since then he was on his own. 

In his more than ten years on the streets, V had met a lot of people. And every single one he got a little closer to, had screwed him over. Not a single one had been honest with him. V always had been skilled. He was full of ideas and his ability to improvise had been perfect to be abused. Often he ended up in trouble; in serious trouble, because his so called friends had stabbed him in the back, when things heated up.

V felt his lids getting very heavy. He should get up and back home before he would even catch a cold. But only as he rose his head to let his body follow, his thought got interrupted.  
"What the hell are you doing here, ese?"  
V looked up to what he saw of Jackie in the darkness and wiped over his face again, brushing his short hair with his fingers. He didn't manage to answer, before Jackie stepped closer and opened the door.   
"Get in. I'm sick of this rain."  
The kid slowly got up and inside, followed by the bulky man, who kicked the door shut. He had a little bag in his hand, V couldn't tell what was inside though. 

V then made some space for Jackie to walk ahead and followed him up to his apartment. He looked down at his feet while walking, thinking why he actually got inside and not back home, as he originally had planned to. As he bumped into Jackie then, who had stopped to open the door to his apartment, he was present again. A mumbles a sorry, didn't look at Jackie though, who opened the door and left it open for V to follow.

Both men got out of their wet jackets and shoes. While Jackie went into the living room, V entered the bathroom to have a look at himself. He washed his face and hands and tried to get rid of the traces, the crying had left on his face. As he left the bathroom, he grabbed a towel from the shelf and rubbed his hair dry, while returning to Jackie.   
The bulky man had gotten out of his wet trousers in the meantime, sitting on the couch and checking on what was on TV. He looked up at V and nodded at the couch. The kid understood and accepted the invitation and sat down. "So? Where have you been sitting in front of my door?"  
V sighed. "I don't know actually. I just wanted to go back home, just as you arrived..."   
There was a moment of silence. He could feel Jackie's eyes on him. "What did you do again? You look like shit."  
"It's nothing."  
"V... Stop acting like a stubborn child. What did you do?"   
Again there was a moment of silence. Deep down V knew that Jackie was right. It was time for him to grow up. In fact, he was grown up. He was a survivor. He had made it this far completely alone. 

V covered his face with both hands and let out a loud sigh. He was confused. He suddenly was angry. And with a quick movement he was up. His eyes were full of anger. "This is all your fault!" He pointed at Jackie who just looked at him confused, angry as well. "Stop yelling. There might be someone sleeping next door."  
"I don't care! Before you showed up, I had myself under control!"  
"Oh did you, V? Looked pretty much quite the opposite to me, ese."  
V made a few steps througth the room and turned back to Jackie. "But I never cared! I wasn't afraid of what could happen to me! And then you showed up and you helped me getting money, you suddenly make me feel valuable!" V's voice was shaking, about to break.   
Confused Jackie shook his head. "I don't see the problem. You told me you were lonely and you told me you are grateful for my help."  
V's shoulders dropped. "But now I'm scared..."

Jackie knew from the beginning that it woulnd't be easy to get through to V. He knew the kid had some issues that needed to be solved and he knew that a lot about this kid was still a mystery. He still had no idea about the kid's past and he still had no idea what drove the kid. Question was: was V really a survivor until this day? Or did he just manage to escape a painful death, hoping for a soft one?

"Scared of what?" Jackie broke the new silence, looking at V who just broke out in tears again.   
V didn't know what to answer. There were so many things he could have said. So many things that were hauting him ever since he felt important to Jackie.   
V made a surrendering gesture by barely lifting and dropping his arm. "Before you've showed up.. I've been alone ever since... my dad kicked me out when I was just ten. Ever since then I've been on my own. And at some point, I just didn't care anymore. I didn't fear anything and anyone..."

Jackie had suspected something like that. At least the part of V being very isolated.   
"And then you showed up... I don't even understand why you're doing all this for me... It's confusing, it's creepy. I don't understand what's going on inside me." V was interrupted by sobbing. He dried his eyes with the towel and felt his knees becoming weak. He was tired and exhausted from the beating.  
He never had spoken about his feelings, he never told anyone what he actually felt. It felt surprisingly good though and as he looked at Jackie, he could see that the man was still listening. 

Jackie used the silence to put the things V said into the right order. This was going to be a lot of work but he felt like a huge step had been taken. V hadn't told him about his past yet and the more Jackie knew, the more he could help that kid.   
"Tell me who did this to you, V."  
The kid sniffed. His hands sort of held onto the towel aroound his neck. "My parents... They found me. They paid some big ass guys to bring me back home..."  
Jackie sat up, pulling a bit on the left leg of his shorts. "You know it was them?"  
V nodded. "They dragged me to the car they were sitting in..."

V was a mess. Jackie could almost grab the desperation that filled the air around him.   
"You know we need to talk about this, don't you?" But there was no answer. V was so uncomfortable. He didn't want to talk about anything but he also felt the words coming like vomit crawling up his gullet.   
But before he could speak, he felt incredibly weak. As his eyes rolled up, closing, Jackie almost stumbled over the small table to catch the kid. He managed to grab him, half way down to the floor. Jackie looked him over and got up, rested V on the couch. So they should talk tomorrow.  
V was in such a mental stress, that even his body wasn't able to take more.   
But now or never. The sooner this was settled, the better.


	2. Chapter 1.0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the beginning was a little weak. I'm sorry.

With a towel wrapped around his waist, Jackie stepped out of the shower, still rubbing his hair dry. The room was filled with hot steam and Jackie opened the window of the bathroom, stepping back to the mirror and waited for the surfave to become clean again. For a moment he looked at his own reflection. The hot shower felt great; especially after a night like the one before. Rubbing his hair with the towel for a last time, he put it away, quickly massaged his eyes with his own hands, letting out a sigh. He then grabbed a small bottle of lotion and pumped some of the clear, thick liquid into his hand. With routinated movements he covered the skin on his face with the lotion and left him even more refreshed. Next his hair. With a small comb he straightened the bit of long but thick hair, followed by some natural oil, making it extra smooth and protecting it from breaking due to the knot he would tie. A simple black hairband did the trick. He brushed his fingers, covered with the rest of the oil, through his short hair and wiped his hands on the towel around his wrist dry then. He took it off his body too then and threw it over the edge of the glass around the shower and grabbed a pair of tight shorts.

Completely refreshed and dressed he left the bathroom. He stepped into the kitchen and sat down. Misty was already sitting, browsing a magazine and drinking coffee. "You've been fast this morning, babe." She didnt look up and pushed a mug towards him. Their apartment's kitchen was probably one of the biggest rooms. Misty had a very healthy way of living and she made sure Jackie had his fair share. She cooked most of the time. Jackie always appreciated that since it just tasted better than junk food but he wasn't home all the time. With a growl he took the mug and drank. "Can't say what it was." There was a short moment of silence and Misty looked up. "What about the boy. What did you plan on doing with him? He appears to be a lot more of work every time he shows up here." Jackie stayed silent for a little longer. He then met her eyes. "I don't know to be honest. I want to find out what happened to him and I want to help him get control of his life." "Why?" Good question. And Jackie had no idea how to answer it in a way that made sense. "It's great to work with him. It's so hard to find a partner fitting the real good jobs. Plus... I like him. You should understand.. You're making money with helping people." It was too early in the morning for a fight; Jackie was right about her job but she didn't invite all her customers to her home and she wasn't a therapist either. Hopefully Jackie wouldn't over do it. So Misty left it like this. She was too much of a balanced person to let this escalate now. "I see. But please don't lose control over it yourself." Jackie shook his head. He didn't intent to let whatever happened to V get in control of his life. He just wanted to find out, what happened. In a comfortable silence he finished his coffee and got up. "I'll have a look at the kid." Misty nodded and got up. She stepped to him and put her small hands on his cheeks. "Do that. And don't be surprised because I stung him a little bit. You can pull out the needles yourself~" She gave him a quick kiss which he deepened. One arm around her waist he forced her step back a little, until she could feel the counter on her back and butt. Misty giggled under his lips and got free. "Don't worry, babe. I didn't plan on being jealous of this kid. I just Worry about you." Jackie nodded, understanding that his intentions were uncovered. That was a little awkward. "I don't plan to take any damage on this." Misty believed him. She would keep her eyes on him.

V woke up to a strange but comfortable numbness. He opened his eyes but as he tried to move he realised that his body wasn't reacting to his orders. "What the fuck?!" He could lift his head and realised he was naked except for his shorts. a bunch of red needles were stuck all over his body. "Jackie!? Jackie what the fuck is this?!" The bulky man entered the living room, finding V, almost naked, on the couch. He chuckled dry. "It was supposed to help you relax, ese. Seems like it didn't work much." "I can't feel my fucking body!" Jackie nodded. "That's the purpose, kid." He stepped to him and quickly pulled out the needles. "It's gonna take a moment. Be patient." V sighed. "Thanks..." He took the moment to compelety wake up and tried to remember the past night. "Jackie.. what happened yesterday?" After he brought away the needles, Jackie grabbed a blanket and covered V with it. His goosebumps showed that he was freezing. Jackie sat to V's feet and looked at him. "You passed out. Something must have happened. We still haven't talked about why you sat in front of my home last night." V closed his eyes and sighed heavy. "Right... I just.. didn't know where I was going.. and suddenly ended up here." Probably simply explained by the fact that V still haven't had his home for quite a long time. He wasn't used to the fact that he had his own place by now. "You were talking something about your parents, kid." "Yeah.." V kept his eyes closed. He was hoping to be able to forget about what had happened.

_In the early evening V was on his way to his own little flat. He had been buying something to eat and carried the paper bag on both his arms. Besides some bread, some vegetables the clinging sound of glass bottles was hearable. Since he got his money he weirdly was consuming less alcohol than before. These bottles were mostly filled with water. V was trying hard to change his life for the better. The jobs he was taking with Jackie were dangerous, life threatening, enough. There was no need in damaging his body on purpose. Well, except for the smoking. He couldn't give up on that yet. Though he wasn't douing that all the time either. Mostly when he had a panic attack or felt too depressed to even eat. He hadn't told that Jackie though. He felt like he was a burden already. He still couldn't figure out why Jackie even was so eager about him. V was ripped out of his thoughts violently as his arms were grabbed by a pair of two strong hands. Being pulled back he dropped the bag and could hear the bottles break. "Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" There was no answer though. As he turned his head to see who was attacking him, he was confused to see two big guys in black suits. What the hell was going on now? He struggled and screamed but he knew better that no one in this city would really care. V was a fighter, sure, but these guys caught him by surprise. It didn't take them long to knock him out and carry him away. As he came back to his senses he soon realised he was in a moving car. The dark brown leather was making sounds under his movements and the moment he cleared his vision cold sweat broke out of every pore. "You!" He wanted to jump up, starting to choke the bastard that called himself his father. But he was held back by the seat belt. As he realised that he was turned to the lock and started to fumble himself free, but was stopped by a pair of smaller, soft hands on his own. He recognised the ring and looked up, right into his mother's eyes. "What the fuck is going on here?!" His questioned though was answered by a hug. A surprisingly warm embrace. Still, it felt wrong to V. "I'm so happy to see you again, my boy." V was frozen. He didn't find the strength to push back. But he also didn't find the courage to return the gesture. He didn't want to be that close. To anyone. His mother, Donna, let go then again. Her hand rose and caressed his cheek. V wasn't sure if his eyes weren't plaing any jokes on him but he believed to see some tears running down his mother's cheeks. "Why the fuck am I here...?" "We want you to come home?" V turned to his father and his anger rose again. "You don't say, you piece of shit! It was you who sent me away in the first place!" "Marcus.. please. Watch your tone. Please let us explain." Again V froze. He hadn't heard his real name in a very long time. Ever since he lived on the streets he went by the name V. He never forgot his real name but it felt pretty weird to be called Marcus again. His eyes were fixed on his mother again. "After your father lost his patience, he regretted his actions instanly. When you didn't come home the evening, we went searching for you. We asked every last one of your class mates. We used every kind of news and social media to let everyone we were missing our son. We deeply regret being the parents we were." V stared at her. Did she honestly expected him to believe this? V shook his head. "Why do you literally kidnap me to tell me that? And why did you kidnap me in the first place?! I'm not a child anymore and probably gone by now anyways!" His father's voice then was ringing through his ears. "We just missed you. You are our son, Marcus. We want you to come back home and live the life you deserve." "But I don't want that! I don't need you!" Again he fumbled on the lock and finally released his own seatbelt. A look out of the window told him though, that they were driving pretty fast. A jump out of the car would probably kill him. So needed another way to stop the vehicle and get away from them. V couldn't explain it but there was something dangerous about them. Something that told him to stay away._

V was able to move by now. His arm was resting over his eyes and Jackie could see him trembling. That unexpected encounter with his parents must have taken its toll on him. Jackie understood though. In the end they were the beginning of all his problems. Sure, he had made his choices too but Jackie was sure, that the sudden appearance of his parents had made the things unnessecarily complicated. V was on a good way and since yesterday he had fallen back. A lot of what V had accomplished with Jackie's help had been lost again.


End file.
